Canopy for electric-light fixtures



O 29, 1929- K. A. SAWIN 1,733,277

CANOPY FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURES Filed Oct. 22, 1927 Figlw lnvenTor.

Kennefh A. Suwin byMWx M ATTys.

Patented Oct. 29, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KENNETH A. SAWIN, OF WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WHEELER REFLECTOR COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS CANOPY FOR ELECTRIC-LIGHT FIXTURES Application filed October 22, 1927. Serial No. 227,929.

This invention relates to electric light fixtures of that type in which the lamp socket is enclosed in a canopy which has an open end and is provided at said open end with means for supporting a reflector or lamp shade, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel form of canopy which is constructed to facilitate access to the lamp socket for wiring the latter or for repair purposes. This object is attained by making the canopy in two separable sections, a cap section to which the lamp socket is secured and a skirt section to which the reflector is secured. The skirt section can be readily separated from the cap section and when this is done free access may be had to the lamp socket for wiring it or for repair or other purposes.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View through a canopy embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the skirt section- 3 is a bottom plan view of the cap section.

The canopy is indicated generally at 1 and it is adapted to receive within it the usual lamp socket 2 of any suitable construction adapted to receive an electric lamp or bulb 3. The canopy is of the type which is open at its lower end and is provided at said lower end with means for supporting the reflector 4. The means herein shown is of the usual type comprising a screw-threaded sleeve 5 of relatively soft metal into which the neck 6 of the reflector is screwed, said sleeve 5 being attached to the lower end of the canopy in any suitable way, as being crimped or spun over the bead 7 at the mouth of the canopy.

The canopy is shown as having a boss 8 at its upper end into which is screw threaded a supporting pipe 9 by which the fixture is supported, said pipe also forming the conduit through which the wires 10 leading to the lamp socket are received.

The canopy may conveniently be made of cast metal and in accordance with my present invention it is made in two sections, a'cap section 11 to which the lamp socket 2 is secured and a skirt section 12 to which the reflector 1 is secured. These sections are readily separable so that by removing the plkipt free access to the lamp socket 2 may be While various ways of detachably connecting the two sections may be employed I prefer that herein illustrated.

The cap portion 11 is formed with a shallow depending peripheral flange 13 and the skirt portion 12 is formed withan upstanding neck portion 14 adapted to be received within the flange 13, the shoulder 17 on the skirt portion seating against the bottom edge 18 of the flange 13 when the two parts are assembled; The flange 13 is undercut on one side on its inner face between the points 24 as shown at 15 and the neck 14 is provided on the same side with an outer bevelled face 16 which extends between the points 25 and which corresponds generally to thebevel of the undercut face 15. On the opposite side of the flange 13 from the bevelled or undercut face 15 is a clamping screw 19 which is screw threaded through the flange 13 and is adapted to engage the inclined under face 20 of an inwardlyprojecting lug 21 formed on the inner face of the neck 14, said screw passing through an opening 22 in said neck. The exterior surface of the neck 14 is slabbed olf slightly as shown at 23 at a point opposite the inclined face 16.

' Fig. 1 shows the parts assembled with the skirt section 12 locked in place by the set screw 19. When thus assembled the outwardly flaring or inclined face 16 of the neck 14- engages the undercut face 15 of the flange 13 and the pointed end of the set screw 19 engages the inclined face 20 of the lug 21. The engagement of the screw with the inclined face 20 serves both to force the shoulder 17 of the skirt upwardly into firm engagement with the lower end 18 of the flange 13 and also maintains the bevelled faces 16 and 15 in engagement. The skirt portion is thus securely locked to the cap thus making a rigid canopy structure. The skirt can be readily detached from the cap section, however, by simply backing off the screw 19 until it is withdrawn from the opening 22 after which the left hand side of the skirt as viewed in Fig. 1 may be swung downwardly to withdraw the slabbed off corner 23 from the flange 13, the canopy at this time fulcruining at the right hand edge about the bottom 18 of the flange 13. When the canopy has been" swung into the dotted line position Fig. 1 then it can be inovedlaterally sutficiently to permit it to be withdrawn from the flange. When it is so withdrawn free access to the lamp socket is afforded thus facilitating wiring operations or repairs, etc.

The operation of reassembling the skirt and cap section of the canopy is just the reverse of that above described, this being accomplished by first placing the skirt section at an angle to the cap section and inserting the edge of the neck 14 having the bevelled face 16 into the portion of the flange of the cap having the undercut face 15 and then swinging the skirtsection from the dotted to the full line position Fig. 1 after which the set screw 19 is tightened.

I claim:

1. In an electric light fixture, the combination with a canopy comprising a cap section and a skirt section, said cap section having a depending peripheral flange, the inner face of which is undercut on one side, and the skirt section having a neck which fits within said flange and is provided with a bevelled exterior face to engage the undercut face of the flange, of a lamp socket secured to the 7 cap section, a reflector detachably secured to the skirt section, and a locking screw carried by the cap section and co-operating wit-h the skirt section to maintain the bevelled face of the skirt section in engagement with the undercut face of the cap section, said neck being slabbed off at a point opposite the bevelled KENNETH A. SAWIN.

face whereby after the locking screw has been backed off the skirt section may be separated from the cap section or assembled therewith by swinging said skirt section about the edge of the undercut portion of the flange.

2. A canopy for electric light fixtures comprising a cap section havinglamp socketsupporting means and a skirt section having reHector-supporting means, said cap section being provided with a peripheral depending flange. the inner face of which is undercut on one side of the cap, and the skirt section having at its upper end a neck adapted to fit within the flange, said neck having on one side a bevelled'facc toengage the undercut face of the flange and on the opposite side an inwardly-extending lug provided with a bevelled under face and an opening in line with said bevelled face, and a set screw carried by the flange. and adapted to extend through said opening and engage the bevelled face of said 

